No Harvard For You!
by downwithvoldemort
Summary: Hermione Granger first gets her letter explaining she is going to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.


1008 E. Winchester Place is the home to an above average family of three; Gregory and Vanessa Granger and their daughter Hermione. Mr. and Mrs. Granger – rather Dr. and Dr. Granger, run the most successful dentistry office in all of Northern London. Their daughter is not shy of excellence either. Hermione is top of her graduating class from Oxford Elite Elementary School. It seemed everyday 1008 E. Winchester Place was flooding with applications and acceptance letters from all of England's (and even some of France's) top prepatories and academies. So it wasn't much of a surprise for the Granger's to receive this rather odd, old-fashioned letter around supper.

"Ah, Wilson probably forgot to drop this off an hour ago when the rest of the mail came," explained Dr. Gregory as he went to retrieve the piece mail from the mail slot.

He ferried his brow as he fingered over the letter, the ink on the letter shining as he did so. "Hm, must be a fancy one, eh?"

He dropped the letter with no return address in front of Hermione. Excitedly, she flipped over the letter and saw the embroidered 'H,' glistening like a hologram.

"An 'H'!," interrupted her mother, stating the obvious at first, "perhaps, perhaps –" she was so excited what she was trying to say the words were barely able to come out. "HERMIONE! This one might be the _Harvard_ School in the United States asking for you! There's extremely old-fashioned I hear. Go on, open!"

Hermione had been _dying _to hear from the Harvard School, only so she could attend and teach the Americans a thing or two. She thought it was more of a service she could provide and add onto her résumé when she applied for Oxford in seven years. She flicked open the 'H' embroider sticker, and since then the Granger family was never the same.

It was almost in unison, Hermione opening the envelope and there being a knock at the door. Baffled, Dr. Vanessa Granger smoothed her pencil skirt and went to the door to see who would be bothering them at supper. To her surprise, a woman, rather older, was standing on 1008 E. Winchester's doorstep. "Hello, Dr. Granger, I'm Minerva McGonagall, Professor at Hogwarts, the school your daughter is opening a letter from as we speak."

Professor McGonagall gave a weak smile to Vanessa, who obviously was confused and slightly scared that this woman knew what her daughter was doing at that moment. To defend his wife, Gregory beckoned Vanessa to sit down with Hermione, who stopped opening her letter as soon as Minerva McGonagall entered the foyer.

"Now, did you just drop the letter off yourself?" questioned Gregory. "Perhaps that's how you knew she'd be opening it!"

There had to be a reasonable answer to why she knew, which was the thought running through each Granger's head. Vanessa stood behind Hermione, placing her hands on her daughter's shoulders as they peered at McGonagall, awaiting her answer to ease their suspicions.

"That is why I'm hear, to tell you about the very special school Hermione was admitted to," Minerva said rather calmly, which let Dr. Granger invite her to sit at the table with the family.

Vanessa didn't sit down just yet. As a protective mother, she stood her ground behind Hermione.

"Now, go on Hermione, read the letter," smiled the presumable Professor McGonagall.

Hermione did as she was asked. The whole time her parents were questioning Minerva she had been clenching the letter, trying to sneak a peak at what it said. Carefully tearing the letter from the envelope, she was slightly disappointed to read that the letter what not from Harvard, instead from this school called Hogwarts.

"Read out loud, dear," said Gregory, excited to hear what this school was about.

"Okay," said Hermione in a weak voice, one that did not suit her often. Nervously, she cleared her throat and began to read:

Dear Ms. Granger,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on September 1. We await your owl no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall, _Deputy Headmistress_

As suspected, the parents remained silent, Vanessa, who had been reading over her daughter's shoulder, clutched her arms around her once she read the word 'witchcraft.' Hermione, on the other hand, had a puzzled expression on her face. Not one of fear, but one of thought, like she was truly pondering something.

Clearing her throat, Minerva McGonagall spoke before any of the Grangers got to say a word. "Now, I know you may find it hard to comprehend since you are Mu – since you all are not…well, not witches or wizards. But let me first tell you that there are such things as witches and wizards. And Dr. and Dr. Granger, your Hermione is a very special girl indeed. She is –"

The male doctor cut off McGonagall, "Of course she is special! She was top of her class at Oxford Elementary! More importantly, what are you trying to say McGonagall? That there are such things as hocus pocus and a bunch of other hokieness?" There was a slight tinge of aggression in his voice.

Professor McGonagall was now clutching something in her cloak.

During the few moments of dead silence, Hermione spat out, very calmly, "I knew it. I knew there was something about me. Mum, remember the other day? Remember how I was so angry that I received not a full mark on my mathematics? Remember how I got furious and the lights began to flicker? Dad! Dad!" Hermione's voice was now beginning to rise to more excitement as she began to tie the strings together. "Dad? Remember last year when all I wanted was to fix my telescope that broke from the wind? It was terribly mangled, wasn't it? Then…then all of the sudden it 'magically' repaired itself! Magic, yes! You even said so yourself!" Hermione was ecstatic, beaming from ear to ear. "This explains why when I was angry with Ms. Hither the other day, and told Sara that I thought she was as dumb as donkey, and then…then her teeth sprouted out almost instantly! Nathan was blamed for that one, but it was me…I did it! I'm – I'm a witch!"

Her parents stared at her with befuddlement and concern. Vanessa had now backed away from her daughter, while Gregory jaw was going to need to be picked up off the floor. Minerva, however, sat still, contently smiling. It seemed as though Hogwarts was going to have in its attendance once of the brightest students the school has seen in a long time.


End file.
